The Power of Metaphors

Your day-to-day language is drenched in metaphors that you aren't aware of. These hidden metaphors both shape the way you think about the world and affect your behavior. They do this quietly, often subversively, and always powerfully. I’ve unwittingly adopted metaphors that have caused me to behave in ways that aren’t healthy.

This idea was first presented to my by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson in their influential book Metaphors We Live By. This post is influenced by their work along with an essay from C.S. Lewis discussing the necessity of thinking metaphorically. That essay is called  “Bluspels and Flalanspheres: A Semantic Nightmare” and can be found in the book C.S. Lewis Selected Essays.

If our thinking is true then the metaphors by which we think must be good metaphors - CS Lewis

This post is to encourage you to uncover the secret metaphors embedded in your thoughts that shape who you are.

Metaphors are Comparisons

A metaphor is a way to compare two things. For example, “When I’m with you I’m at home” is a phrase with the embedded metaphor you are my home. If I said this to my wife I would not mean that she is literally the place where I reside. That doesn’t make any sense.  But it isn’t literal. It is a comparison. It is metaphorical.

Metaphors Create Meaning and Define Reality

Metaphors go beyond saying what something is literally and begin to tell you why that thing matters. As a metaphor, you are my home creates meaning of our relationship. My wife is a person with whom I can unwind, rest, or retreat.

Metaphors not only create meaning but they define your reality. Accepting a metaphor makes you focus in on the things that the metaphor highlights and ignore other aspects. Metaphors, even if they are not true, can become self-fulling prophecies. Most astonishingly is this—our metaphors will change our behavior.

Take for example the phrase, “I don’t follow your argument". Embedded in this phrase is a conceptual metaphor that an argument is a path. You can see this metaphor in the phrases, “I don’t like your train of thought” and “you are straying from the line of the argument.” Like a path, an argument should lead you somewhere. It is nice to think about an argument as a path. Paths are very utilitarian. Two people can take a path together.  We can blaze new trails.

When Metaphors Compete

However, there is a competing metaphor more prevalent in our language which is argument is war. We see this metaphor at work when we say things like “here is my counter argument”, “your point of view is indefensible”, “his criticism was right on target” or simply “I won that debate”.

These two metaphors - argument is a path and argument is war - compete with each other. Following or creating a path can be cooperative. But a battle is combative. A path can be useful for anyone to use. But waging a war is always at the expense of someone.

The difference between a healthy discussion and a heated fight could be a poorly accepted metaphor.

Metaphors are Not Just for Poets

The most important things in life are abstract: love, hope, peace, intimacy, adventure, friendship. An abstract is something that is impossible to talk about literally and instead have to talk about what it is like—we have to compare it with something else. This act of comparing is the creation of a metaphor. We are always using and creating metaphors to understand ourselves and the world around us.

It is easy to simply categorize metaphors as a nice trick that poets and storytellers use to tempt us into thinking about things in new and interesting ways. But it turns out that metaphors are not just parlor tricks. Metaphors are a fundamental part of how we think about almost everything we experience.

C.S. Lewis points out in his essay “Bluspels and Flalanspheres: A Semantic Nightmare” that all language has a figurative origin and that it is impossible to think and write in a meaningful way without using metaphors.  He goes so far as to say,

“Those who have prided themselves in being literal, and who have endeavoured to speak plainly, with no mystical tomfoolery, about the highest abstractions, will be found to be among the least significant of writers… But open your Plato, and you will find yourself among the great creators of metaphor, and therefore among the masters of meaning.”

Metaphors are Sneaky

The difference between a simili and a metaphor is that a simili will clearly announce that it is using a comparison with the word “like”: “this is like that”. A metaphor is doing the same comparative work as a simili, however it is much sneakier. It drops the word “like” and boldly says “this is that”.

As a result, metaphor can be confused as an attempt to be literal. It is easy to begin to trust metaphors as literal things forgetting that the idea originated as a non-literal comparison. In fact, many words we have today came directly from metaphors that we take for granted.

A good example of this is our word spirit comes from the Latin Spiritus which means breath. In Greek the word for spirit also means breath or wind. Deeply embedded in our language the metaphor spirit is breath. This metaphor forms the way we think about our humanity and our spirituality.

I personally think it is a good metaphor. It is better than (and competitive with) another metaphor that is becoming very popular - our minds are computers. That new metaphor is sneaking in our language as we talk about computers having ‘memory’, ‘processing power’, and being either ‘awake’ or ‘asleep’.  

Since metaphors are sneaky they easily place themselves into our language and become unconscious mental guides by which we make meaning out of our experiences. Lakoff and Johnson call them “conceptual metaphors”. They are a clandestine force informing how you should think and how you should act.

Examining Our Metaphors

Metaphors are abundant, sneaky, and formative to our lives, but there is nothing sacred about our metaphors. Metaphors are not literal. They are not truth. We should feel free to discard both boring and dangerous metaphors and readily adopt new ones. We should examine all of our metaphors making sure they are coherent with everything else we believe. We should actively create new metaphors.

Here is C.S. Lewis again,

“He who would increase the meaning and decrease the meaningless verbiage in his own speech and writing, must do two things. He must become conscious of the fossilized metaphors in his words; and he must freely use new metaphors, which he creates for himself. The first depends on knowledge… the second on a certain degree of imaginative ability. The second is perhaps the more important of the two.”

Surprisingly imagination, which at one time looked like a childish activity suited for distraction or entertainment, now shows itself to be a crucial activity for living a healthy and meaningful life. Imagination enables us to break free from the slavery of dangerous metaphors.

Prophets appeal to our imagination.  The role of a prophet is to get us to imagine life, ourself, god, as it really is an not as we are currently imagining it. - Ken Myers[2] 

If imagination is that important then we should prioritize poetry, art, and storytelling. We should sharpen our imaginative tools and use their razor’s edge to slice into new territory.

A Few Metaphors to Re-Imagine

Here are a number of metaphors embedded in our language that I think might need some re-imagining. Some are really dangerous. Some are just stale. (Questions to ask: does the metaphor help or hinder my desire to be a fully human person? Does the metaphor align with my spiritual beliefs? Does the metaphor help or hurt myself and other people?)

• “I fell in love” or “I am captivated by her” is from the metaphor love is a trap

• “We are wasting time” is from the metaphor time is currency

• “I can’t process that” is from the metaphor my mind is a computer

• “My emotions flared up” is from the metaphor emotions are a disease

• “I need to recharge” is from the metaphor my body is a battery

What else should be on this list?

Changing a Metaphor

I have had a deep belief in the metaphor that my emotions are disobedient children. I constantly talk to myself about my emotions the way I would talk to a two year old. “Calm Down.” “Keep Still.” “Don't overreact” I don’t value the things they say to me except to me. I worry that they will act out and embarrass me.

I not only think this about my emotions but also think it about other people’s emotions. This gets me in a lot of hot water, especially with my wife. Emotions are disobedient children is a dangerous metaphor that I learned somewhere along the line. It has taken the patience of my wife, some reflection, and some re-imagining to help me find a new metaphor.

Perhaps emotions are less like disobedient children and more like watch dogs. My emotions are the first to tell me when I am threatened, they raise the alarm when I need to pay attention to something suspect. If this new metaphor is true then I shouldn’t punish my emotions for creating a ruckus, sending them off to bed without dinner. Rather, I should make sure they are well fed and listen to them carefully.

If I’ve successfully changed my conceptual metaphor about emotions it should creep into my language. I should begin to hear myself say things like: “I wonder why I’m feeling scared.” Or, “I need to pay attention to how sad this is making me.”

This, of course, isn’t the perfect or ultimate metaphor for how to think about emotions. But it's a step in the right direction.

What Metaphors Have Crept into Your Life?

In order to find them you need to first accept that metaphors are prevalent and significant. Secondly, examine the language you use and trace it down to the conceptual metaphor that it stems from. And finally, if they are not good metaphors be brave and imagine new ones.

----------

1. This quote is from a lecture entitled "Imagination and Everyday Life" by Ken Myers which was part of a conference called Baptizing the Imagination. If you are interested in how imagination shapes us as humans I highly recommend all the lectures.

---

Jonathan Collins

I resides in Portland, OR with his wife and two sons. I am a a co-founder of The Bible Project and Epipheo. My mission is to explore and explain.

Follow on Twitter

---

Imagination VS Reason

We don’t design our lives based on reason. We design our lives based on our passions. This is what Bertrand Russell meant when he said, “Reason is a slave to our passions.”  I for one would like to think I am a reasonable person who makes decisions based purely on logic, but the human condition is such that our passions are what really run the show.

We don’t reason ourselves into our passions. Passions are instead fueled by our imagination— the ability to picture a world that doesn't yet exist but could. We are all imaginative. Whether you recognize it or not, your imagination is constantly humming away in the background trying to bind all your experiences into a coherent whole. Your imagination tells you what is important about life. It attaches meaning to every conversation, every object, and every moment. Your imagination is how you explain the past and how you envision the future. Imagination brings meaning to our lives.

Reason is the organ of truth, but imagination is the organ of meaning.” - C.S. Lewis

Here are a few ways our imagination work in tandem with our passions.

Our imaginations construct stories about the world that answer big questions about life. Why are some people bad and other people good? What is a successful life? What are virtues I should attain? These answers come from stories, either big, mythic tales or simple family narratives. We are told these stories from parents, pastors, books, tv, culture. And as we hear these stories our imaginations grab a hold of them and we filter life through them.

Our imaginations create heroes. In mid-century America imaginations were formed from mythic images like Marlon Brando on a motorcycle and Marilyn Monroe on a New York Sidewalk. For others their heroes are Mother Theresa or Batman. Your heroes might be celebrities you see on the magazine stands or someone you follow on twitter. Our imaginations are constantly at work to remake ourselves in the image of our heroes.

Our passions are formed by rituals. Rituals like family traditions, religious ceremonies, or summer vacations all shape how we think about who we are and what matters. Any ritual we participate in forms our imagination by making us active players in a story. Every time you participate in a ritual you are letting that ritual reinforce what you imagine life to be all about.

Our imaginations are formed by metaphors. Metaphors are an imaginative tool that explain something in light of something else. A modern metaphor many people use is comparing our brains to computers. “Let me process that” or “I need a mental reboot”. That kind of language comes from the the "My-Brain-Is-A-Computer Metaphor", and it shape the way we imagine ourselves and others around us.

The Slow Work of Shaping Your Imagination

Have you ever tried to change someone's mind with a well crafted argument just to find that the person doesn’t seem to care?  Their imagination has already been shaped and reason isn’t going to suddenly reshape it. Yet we continually try to change people with reason. Why? Well, it is quick and exact. Reason is pointed and sharp. Like a knife. With reason you can explain things with precision and try to cut away error.  And this is an important exercise in many contexts.  But it doesn’t win people’s hearts.

Instead, think of your imagination like a star. Your imagination forms slowly over time and eventually grows hot and vibrant. You can’t cut into a star with a knife. You can only fuel a star with new stories, new heroes, new rituals, new metaphors, and eventually help reshape it.  It’s a slow process remaking a star.  

Don’t be cavalier about what stories you watch, what rituals you participate in, the heroes you adopt and the metaphors you use. These things are your leverage points.  If you want to change your imagination start here.

If you are a teacher, a parent, or a communicator of any sort then pay attention to what is shaping the imaginations of the people you are educating. Help give them new inputs and be patient.

------------

---

Jonathan Collins

I resides in Portland, OR with my wife and two sons. I'm a co-founder of The Bible Project and Epipheo. My mission is to Explore and Explain

Follow on Twitter

---

Play Like It's Your Job

The Work of Play:

I have a two year old boy, Pax.  The only thing Pax has to do each day is play.  Trucks, books, blocks, spin in circles, chase the dog, jump off the couch, jump on me.  The kid plays like it is his job.

It is his job. While playing he is learning skills that will make him a successful adult.  He is a good little worker. He shows up everyday.

The thing about play is that it doesn’t feel like work.  Play is fun.  Time goes by quickly.  Your mind is clear of distractions.  You try new things without too much concern.  You take risks.  You explore.

The End of Play

When we get older a lot of our work stops being play. Adult tasks require us to hunker down and focus.  No goofing around.  No using your imagination.  No trying new things.  No expelling unnecessary energy.  Just get the job done.

But more and more that kind of work is taken away from humans and given to machines because machines are better at it than us.

Some Advice

Don’t try to outperform machines.

You are Human

Do what humans do best.  Play.  Take risks.  Use your imagination.  Spin in circles just to see how it feels.  Play like it is your job.

In 2004 I decided that I wanted to learn how to tell stories with video.  I didn't know how to film, edit, or do anything really, so I decided I would enter a season of play.  Instead of spending 80K on art school I spent 8K and bought a video camera, a Macbook, and a copy of Final Cut Pro.  Then I started playing.  I edited a friend's wedding video.  I needed to rent out our house so I made a video tour  and put it on YouTube. I put a link to the tour with the craigslist ad.  It got us a lot of applications and could have turned into a business. But I was still playing. I spent a year putting way too much effort into a promotional video for a non-profit.  I did all this because it was fun.  I did it playfully.

Play is hard work when you are focused.  But it doesn't feel like work.

I discovered  that I had a knack for storytelling with video.  My projects had limits due to small production budgets and my lack of experience, but these limits forced me to be creative.  I figured out cheap and unique ways to tell stories with simple animations.  I learned what parts of the process I was good at and what parts I wasn't so good at.  I learned how to rely on my strengths and create interesting things.

That season of play spun into a freelance gig, which evenutally launched a small studio, which has now turned into a large creative agency.

Play can be really productive.

It was easy to justify that season of play because I felt like I was saving money by not going to art school.  I was also in my early twenties and it is common to "discover yourself" during that time.

But other times it is hard to justify play.

As my business grew I noticed I wasn't playing much anymore.  I was grinding it out.  I began to wonder if the lack of play is what being an adult is all about.  I'm not in my twenties.  I have a family.  I have a mortgage.  I can't take as many risks. I have lots of reasons to not play around anymore

But then I realized that this is nonsense.  If I don't play I won't discover new ways to create value.  If I rely on doing redundant tasks I won't innovate.  I 'll lose my job to competition.  Or I'll one day be replaced by a machine.

I decided to prioritize play again.  I created space in my schedule.  I chose two projects to play around with.  One of those projects really does feel like spinning in circles just to see how it feels.   I'm not sure if either project will be amazing or unimpressive.  But that isn't the point of play.  The point is to play.

A New Paradigm

Play-work requires a different paradigm than work-work.  Since it has been a while since we've been children lets have a refresher on how to play:

• Tip #1 Have goals but don't have standards.  It is ok that your play has goals.  These goals can be something like, "try to climb that tree to the very top." or "write a story".  But you can't really play when there is too much at stake.  Create situations where it is ok to do something lousy.  When you aren't focused on performing to some standard you can lose yourself in play.

• Tip #2 Don't be efficient. Take risks on stuff and throw things away without concern. At the end of the day you were just playing around, and not all play is productive.  But lots is.

• Tip #3: Get incredibly curious. Start to think like a kid again. Read things without an agenda.  Ask questions that might sound stupid.  Pull things apart just to see how they work.

• Tip #4: Make limitations assets.  When you are a kid and you don't have a basketball hoop you just turn a bucket into the goal.  You build stuff out of what is in your parent's garage.  You make due with what you have.  You come up with interesting things this way.

• Tip #5: Give yourself a shot clock.  Lots of games have some sort of shot clock in which you have a limited amount of time to score your points. This requires you to get creative and try new things when you are running out of time.  In other words: deadlines.

Set some time aside everyday to play. And then do the work of play like its your job.

---